SFUSD vote for new board president fails to reach supermajority; item continued
January 10, 2023 | San Francisco City, San Francisco County, California
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The San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education opened nominations for its annual election of officers but did not elect a president because the motion failed to reach the five-vote supermajority required under newly readopted rules.
Commissioner Weisman Ward nominated President Lam and lauded her leadership, saying she had helped the board "refocus the board and its priorities" and had shepherded a superintendent search and new board rules (SEG 312–336). Vice President Bogus self-nominated and spoke to his commitment to collaboration and student-centered work; he accepted his nomination on the dais (SEG 384–390; SEG 423).
The board held a targeted public-comment period on the nominations. Dozens of in-person speakers and callers voiced competing views: many parents and students urged the board to allow President Lam to finish her term, saying leadership continuity matters for student outcomes, while other speakers and community organizations argued for new leadership, citing ongoing payroll and staffing issues (public comments included statements such as "Let President Jenny Lam serve her full term" and calls to "support Vice President Bogus" from different speakers) (SEGs 521–641; 714–741; 748–772).
After a round of brief remarks from commissioners and student delegates, the clerk conducted a roll call on the nominations. The tally recorded four votes for Vice President Bogus and three votes for President Lam, short of the five-vote supermajority required by the board's rules. The clerk announced the motion failed and President Lam stated the item would be continued to the next board meeting in January (SEGs 1251–1259).
The board did not take further formal action on officer selection at the meeting; the process and the required supermajority threshold will govern how nominations proceed at the continued session.
The board's rules and procedures (Series 9000) and the supermajority requirement — recently re-adopted as part of the organizational items earlier in the meeting — determined the outcome and next steps.
Commissioner Weisman Ward nominated President Lam and lauded her leadership, saying she had helped the board "refocus the board and its priorities" and had shepherded a superintendent search and new board rules (SEG 312–336). Vice President Bogus self-nominated and spoke to his commitment to collaboration and student-centered work; he accepted his nomination on the dais (SEG 384–390; SEG 423).
The board held a targeted public-comment period on the nominations. Dozens of in-person speakers and callers voiced competing views: many parents and students urged the board to allow President Lam to finish her term, saying leadership continuity matters for student outcomes, while other speakers and community organizations argued for new leadership, citing ongoing payroll and staffing issues (public comments included statements such as "Let President Jenny Lam serve her full term" and calls to "support Vice President Bogus" from different speakers) (SEGs 521–641; 714–741; 748–772).
After a round of brief remarks from commissioners and student delegates, the clerk conducted a roll call on the nominations. The tally recorded four votes for Vice President Bogus and three votes for President Lam, short of the five-vote supermajority required by the board's rules. The clerk announced the motion failed and President Lam stated the item would be continued to the next board meeting in January (SEGs 1251–1259).
The board did not take further formal action on officer selection at the meeting; the process and the required supermajority threshold will govern how nominations proceed at the continued session.
The board's rules and procedures (Series 9000) and the supermajority requirement — recently re-adopted as part of the organizational items earlier in the meeting — determined the outcome and next steps.
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